aeronuova @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

as far as US domestic terminals go, jetblue's terminal 5 at jfk might be one of my favorites. (seattle's redesigned central terminal is definitely up there as well). jetblue's terminal 5 is a huge open space that rarely feels overwhelming despite the crowds. decent food. nice shopping options. since i was early for my flight back to la, i decided to enjoy a glass of red wine and a bowl of rigatoni bolognese at aeronuova. pasta was okay - i liked that it was al dente, but the sauce was a bit bland. wine was excellent. service was very friendly. a nice comforting meal before a long flight.

bubby's

new york, ny

website

solid spot for brunch in tribeca. biscuits are good when fresh out of the oven. cheesy grits are nice and cheesy. there's a tantalizing menu of pies that i have not tried yet. jenny and i came here the morning after we arrived back from paris. bubby's is always packed, but what was interesting about this visit is that i was so happy to be at an american brunch. lots of food, cheerful friendly waitstaff, no cigarette smoke, and a boisterous crowd talking and laughing. paris was wonderful, of course, but it was nice to be home.

betony

new york, ny

website

super fancy restaurant in midtown. really expensive. great service. they even have a little bench for your purse to sit, which made my purse very happy. food was good, but nothing memorable. probably not worth the price. sad.

cafe sfa @ saks fifth avenue

new york, ny

link to yelp

it's interesting (sad? amazing?) that so many of my restaurant choices are so close to my shopping choices. back when i worked in midtown east, the girls and i used to frequent saks to shop the sales, to look for wedding dresses, or to just take a break from the daily grind. if the grind was particularly rough that day, we would stop at cafe sfa for some cocktails to unwind - with the beautiful bags and shoes serving as our backdrop. on this trip to nyc, i stopped here to reminisce and ordered the mille feuille. thin layers of crepes with a light cream in between. delicate and delicious - went quite nicely with a glass of chilled prosecco. i highly recommend.

del posto

new york, ny

website

this is one of my favorite restaurants in new york city. it's really sad that the only photo i have is of the extra desserts that they gave you. yes, this is just the extra desserts. served at the end of the meal. after you've consumed countless mini baguettes slathered in rich butter (or lardo if you're feeling porky). after you've eaten some delicious appetizer. after you've eaten at least two plates of pasta (trust me, you haven't had pasta until you've had mario batali's pasta - that man knows what he's doing). after you've eaten a few bites of some random meat dish that you ordered because it seemed like the thing to do (don't do it). after you've eaten your actual dessert. then they bring you this crazy contraption with a hidden drawer and even more sweet treats that you can't resist. expensive, yes. but if you think of it as three hours of delicious debauchery, it's worth eating packaged ramen for every meal for the rest of the week. mm, packaged ramen.

10/12: updated with a better picture.

dominique ansel bakery

new york, ny

website

jenny introduced me to this bakery when i visited new york city eons ago, long before dominique ansel invented its infamous cronut. i know. that's how far behind i am on my blogging. which is why i've adopted this new lazy format. type up some random thoughts. throw a big picture up. voila. blogpost done.

emack & bolio's

new york, ny

website

perfect snack when you're shopping in soho on a hot summer day. my favorites are the mud pie (coffee with chocolate chips and oreos) and the grasshopper pie (creme de menthe with chocolate chips and oreos). and they don't skimp on the oreos - lots of big chunks.

bonfire @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

i had to make a few work calls while at the airport, so i decided to settle into a quiet corner of todd english's bonfire restaurant at the united terminal at JFK. waitstaff was very polite and left me alone while i finished up my calls, except to refill my soda.

i was craving a hot dog ever since i made the tactical error back at la silhouette, so i ordered the hot dog and fries with coleslaw. expensive. greasy. heavy. the bread was too thick and dry. but the fries were good. typical airport food, but i was hoping for something better from a restaurant with a famous chef's name attached to it.

la silhouette

new york, ny

website

it is always a treat to eat with y&a. they know good food and they know good restaurants. and in the case of la silhouette, they also know the owners. which translates into excellent and attentive service (and free freshly baked cookies!) one of the great things about nyc is that there are always new restaurants popping up everywhere and this one happened to pop up right in their hood. convenient. convivial. what's not to love?

i joined y&a for brunch, for which silhouette has an entire section devoted to "hangover sandwiches." i made the dumb decision of ordering a more healthy option (eggs benedict with spinach and salmon, sauce on the side) which was decent, but nothing compared to y's "hot duck" (hot dog with duck sausage - get it?) or a's "short rib brisket burger queen" which were both amazing. even baby n's scrambled eggs (more like scrambled butter) and fries was a better choice. i've learned my lesson for next time.

sakagura

new york, ny

website

CR is queen of finding hidden little japanese gems in midtown east. this time, jenny and i joined her at a difficult-to-find restaurant with a tiny little sign outside. walk a few flights down to the basement and you are transported to japan. the decor, complete with a wall stacked with sake bottles, reminds me of restaurants i visited in kyoto. love it. menu reads somewhat like a standard izakaya menu, but with a few more entree-like choices. the sake menu is massive and a little overwhelming. CR, jenny, and i decided to go with the daily special, advertised to taste like "snow" - and it was bright, fresh, and crisp, all the things clean snow should taste like. both bottles. or did we get three? i don't remember.

i do remember that the food was amazing. pictured are the soba noodles soaked in a uni broth topped with huge pieces of uni. uni-tastic. uni-licious. it's really a miracle that i didn't immediately dunk my head into the bowl, but managed to let jenny and CR try some before devouring the rest. uni-rrific. one note - if the waitress recommends that you each order a "buta kakuni" - do not believe her. order one to share for the table. it's incredible stewed fatty pork and it's delicious. but eating an entire portion by yourself might kill you.

maialino

gramercy, nyc

website

once again, derek and i simply walked out of our apartment and wandered around, waiting for inspiration to hit. as we neared gramercy park, i saw maialino, which i had been wanting to try since it first opened in fall 2009. i doubted that we could get a table, but wanted to see how long the wait was. to our surprise, we were seated immediately. score. the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. we sat in the bar area (they only make reservations in the dining room, so that's why we were seated so quickly). but this is no ordinary bar area. huge rustic-style tables for two, spaced far apart. the afternoon sun was streaming in through the huge windows behind the bar. just beautiful, i could have sat there for hours. eating.

it's a homey-but-upscale italian restaurant. (officially, a "roman-style trattoria," whatever that means). the best cup of latte i have ever had in a restaurant. it somehow strikes the ideal balance between strong, rich coffee and sweet, creamy lightness. the moist olive oil muffin - which was both fruity and savory - was a perfect companion to the latte. i highly recommend just stopping by, sitting at the bar, and enjoying a latte with the budino di olio d'oliva. heaven for about $6. pictured is the pasta, sausage, and other brunch dishes, which were also very good. but the muffin and coffee were just out of this world.

mint

midtown, nyc

website

there are a lot of fancy indian restaurants in midtown. white tablecloths. great service. everything served in silver bowls and platters, with silver utensils. mint falls into this category with a slight twist. the interior is lit up with neon green lights which make you feel like you're inside a dance club or other night spot. it's a little disconcerting when you're meeting a friend in the middle of the afternoon for lunch.

but the food is good. i was caught up talking to XYZ and stuffing my face with spicy corn, so i didn't take a picture until i only had a few bites left. thus the photo of giant corn and giant grains of rice. XYZ and i shared the corn salad appetizer and the corn in saag sauce, with a side of excellent naan. very tasty.

union square cafe

union square, nyc

website

one thing that i love (and miss) about new york city is that at nearly any time during the day (or night), you can walk out the door without any idea of where you're going and just keep walking and walking until inspiration hits you. derek and i did just that - we walked out the door of our apartment, with empty stomachs and a vague desire to get a really great new york lunch. we decided to head south, toward union square, where there are more options. somewhere between 19th and 17th street on park avenue, i shouted, "union square cafe!" derek exclaimed, "great idea!" and so that's where we went.

derek and i are huge fans of danny meyer resataurants. his restaurants are known for over-the-top service and exceptional cuisine. union square cafe has a very cozy feel (despite the high prices). it's been a while, so i don't remember what derek ordered, but it was probably the burger. i ordered the butternut squash ravioli with cranberries in a brown butter sauce - delicious. union square cafe is a classic - solid and reliable. a nice restaurant to keep in your back pocket whenever you're not quite sure where to go.

locanda verde

tribeca, nyc

website

see earlier post about how jenny is always plugged into whatever is new and exciting in manhattan. locanda verde is located in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of the island, somewhere in tribeca. i took a cab to get to the cross-streets (north moore and greenwich), but was quite lost among the dark warehouses and quiet streets. suddenly, a door opened and i could hear the clanging chatter of a busy restaurant. i followed the noise, walked through the doorway, and politely shoved my way through the crowd of fashionably clad bodies to reach jenny, who was waving one hand in the air (the other hand holding a large glass of red wine).

we didn't have a reservation, but jenny had put our names down for two seats at the bar. fortunately, we were seated within 10 minutes (although two people who got on the list just after us were not seated for almost an hour). we started with bread, their housemade focaccia served warm and slightly crispy. amazing. we had seconds. our appetizer was also delicious. but the highlight of the meal was the ravioli, listed on the menu as "my grandmother's ravioli." i have never had ravioli this good before. the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, but the meat inside just melts in your mouth. sure, it's a little weird for meat to melt, but it's just that good. hands down, the best ravioli i've ever had. it is $17, but it is worth all 1700 pennies. save up. try it. thank me later.

financier

midtown, nyc

website

the original location of this cleverly named patisserie is in the financial district (a financier is both a type of french pastry and someone who handles a lot of money -- get it?), which is located at the southernmost tip of manhattan. this means that lazybones like myself only tasted pastries from this bakery when one of my friends (usually jenny or dorothy) brought some to the office or to a party. on those rare occasions, tarts and pies from financier were a special treat.

something happened, however, when financier opened a branch just a few blocks away from my office. perhaps distance does make the heart grow fonder because i found that the midtown location's pastries are good, but not amazing. the dining area of the bakery is cluttered and dirty. the sandwiches are small and take forever for them to make. we still go every now and then to get some coffee and perhaps satisfy a craving for sweets, but sadly, the allure is gone.

the meatball cart @ mia dona

midtown, nyc

website

i'm not sure how, but jenny is always plugged into what is new and fun in the big apple. jenny suggested that i meet her in midtown to try donatella arpaia's meatball cart located just outside her restaurant, mia dona. autumn in new york can be quite cold, so i was surprised to see a crowd standing outside waiting for meatballs. always a good sign.

jenny requested the sandwich (meatballs between two squares of foccacia + cheese + arugula) for $6 while i went for the cup of meatballs swimming in red sauce for $5. mia dona's waitstaff suggested that we go inside to escape the cold, so jenny and i cozied up to the bar where the bartender graciously poured us some water. (hey, in nyc, these little things make a world of difference). the meatballs, apparently an old family recipe, were terrific. i don't dare to mention the name of that swedish superstore, but let's just say that there is no comparison to the meatballs i usually eat. i'm not sure if the cart is still out there given the below freezing temps, but definitely check it out in the springtime.

abc kitchen

flatiron, nyc

website

just north of union square is one of jean-georges' newest restaurants, abc kitchen. the atmosphere is earthy and casual, completely different from any of his other restaurants. the quality of the food is impeccable, as always. unfortunately the price is high, as always. pictured are two of the most expensive doughnuts i've ever eaten. it's hard to tell from the picture, but they're TINY. and the pair cost $9. delicious? yes. outrageously priced? yes indeed. i now turn this blog post over to ... derek! he had the burger. i refused to take a picture because otherwise my blog would turn into "derek eats! burgers!"

D: I like to taste the meat in my burgers. Eric Ripert says that when preparing a fish dish, the chef should “elevate the fish” not overpower or compromise it. The same philosophy should apply to burgers. When we heard that ABC Kitchen had a burger featuring a Pat LaFrieda blend, naturally, I had to try it. Unfortunately, the LaFrieda patty was not elevated. It was still a goo-ey, zesty, and soul-comforting blend of cheese, herbed mayo and pickled jalapeños, but it was merely a tasty sandwich, not a burger. A real burger, in my mind, is what they do at Little Owl or City Hall. A fat, juicy patty enhanced with light, complementary additions (yes, bacon and cheddar can be “light”). That said, the sandwich-with-LaFrieda patty was still delicious. After all, Mr. Vongerichten knows his stuff.

friedman's lunch

chelsea, nyc

website

it's been so long since i took this picture of pancakes (auto-dated october 31) that it first took me about 10 minutes of searching through my old emails to determine what city i was in that day and then where i might have eaten pancakes. i need to start carrying around a notebook. or i need to avoid having a backlog of photos waiting to be posted. anyway, now i remember the restaurant - friedman's lunch in chelsea market.

however, i can't remember why derek and i dared to wander through chelsea market on halloween. the market was incredibly crowded -- full of trick-or-treaters and people on stilts. it probably had something to do with getting chocolate-covered cheerios from jacques torres for my niece (who refused to eat regular cheerios after eating a few of the chocolate ones -- oops). derek, amazingly enough, remembers that he ordered the fish basket and that it was delicious. i clearly had pancakes and if i remember correctly, i really enjoyed them. i vaguely remember that it seemed like a great place to recommend to my friends. so - there you go.

piano due

midtown, nyc

website

when jenny and i first walked into piano due, we saw a large U-shaped bar, crowded with regulars. some glanced up before looking back down at their drinks. most just ignored us. confused, jenny and i walked out and read the sign outside again. turns out, there's an elevator to the right of the bar that takes you up to the restaurant. the dining room is completely quiet, like you've stepped into another world and the cacophony of midtown melts away into the distance. jenny and i glance around, still feeling unsure and out of place. after a few minutes, a waiter finally greets us and shows us to our table.

white tablecloths. curtains on all the windows. smartly dressed waitstaff. huge list of italian wines. huge menu of italian entrees. dean martin singing in the background. i have no idea how old this restaurant is, but it felt like an old-school new york italian restaurant. the friendly waiter graciously recommended a reasonably priced bottle of red wine. service was very attentive. and the food was classic italian done very well. derek and jenny had amazing pasta dishes. i ordered the raviolo d'imola - soft egg yolk raviolo with ricotta and spinach, topped with black truffle butter. it was so rich that i could only finish one of the two, but delicious all the same. this is definitely the spot to go to if you're looking for a real new york restaurant experience.

lure fishbar

soho, nyc

website

as i mentioned last october, derek and i had promised to meet up with hana for a meal in the city. she recommended this great brunch spot, lure fishbar, a nautical-themed restaurant in soho. the restaurant takes advantage of its basement location by decorating the place like the downstairs of a yacht. not that i've ever been downstairs in a yacht, but i've seen some in movies.

it was empty when we went, around 11 am on a sunday. my guess is that the usual crowd was still recovering from the night before. the menu, full of classic comfort food, could definitely cure any hangover. for example, i ordered the biscuits with sausage gravy. soft scrambled eggs on the side. the potatoes were carb overkill, but everything else was delicious. derek had a burger, per usual. if i remember correctly, he enjoyed it, but it was quite a few burgers ago ...